TEHRAN – The 19th Iranian International Documentary Film Festival “Cinema Verité” has announced the lineup for the Gaza Competition section.
According to the announcement, 10 foreign documentaries will be screened in the next section, which will be held in Tehran from December 10 to 17, Mehr reported.
Films to be screened include Momen Ghonem’s Gaza: A Stolen Childhood, a 2024 Palestinian-Qatari co-production, Mohamed Rida Gheznai’s We Remember You, Hussein Ali’s “WAED” by Kanso, “Palestinian Lentils” by Hamdi Khalil Elfseini and Samar Taher Lulu, “$17.74” by Justin Mashouf, and “Still” by Mohamed Mesbah. “A Man Fell” by Giovanni C. LoRusso, “After the Siege” by Naji Fawaz Mustafa, “Exile” by Gustavo Castro, and “Free Words: The Poet of Gaza” by Abdullah Harun Ilhan.
The 2024 Palestinian-Qatari co-production Gaza: A Stolen Childhood depicts Mohamed, Farah and Sabri among the thousands of stories of Gazan children who have lived through the war on the Strip since October 7, 2023. The director spent about a year tracing their lives during the invasion, documenting their suffering, and answering the question: “What does war look like in the eyes of young people in Gaza?” Children?
“I Will Remember You” is set in Morocco and Qatar in 2025. In it, a young Moroccan director stumbles upon an audiotape recorded by his grandfather during the Arab-Israeli War of October 1973. He embarks on a journey to find fragments of his grandfather’s footprints. He becomes involved with a group of former soldiers who have been forgotten by history, rejected by society, and treated unfairly by their country. His journey sheds light on his grandfather’s military and intimate past, as well as the experiences of Moroccan soldiers in the conflict. Therefore, the grandson is forced to think deeply about the questions answered by the eternal reality of war.
The 2024 Palestinian production “Palestinian Lentils” tells the story of a Palestinian chef and his role in using his hobby as a shield against the famine caused by the Gaza war, preserving the spirit of resilience and hope within his community.
“$17.74” Made in the United States in 2024 Shows how a prisoner’s small act of kindness, a donation of $17.74 to Gaza, sparked a movement that spread around the world. This short documentary tells the story of how even the smallest actions can inspire hope.
Still Playing, a 2025 French-Palestinian co-production, is inspired by real-life events and the own experiences of young video game creators seeking to make their voices heard in the industry.
“A Man Fell” (Italy and Lebanon), created in 2024, depicts Gaza Building, a former PLO hospital, a symbol of Palestinian survival in the Sabra (Beirut) refugee camp, north of Shatila camp.
Notes on an Exile (Brazil and Palestine) is a documentary set in 2025. Footage of a meeting with a Brazilian Palestinian family in the West Bank in 2018 will be rewatched from October 7, 2023. What was supposed to be a film about the possibilities for coexistence in occupied territories turns into a brutal reflection on the prevalence of colonization, apartheid, genocide, and the recent proliferation of images of war produced by the very victims of genocide over time.
Free Words: Poets of Gaza (Egypt and Turkey), produced in 2024, is a documentary detailing the life and experiences of Palestinian poet Mosab Abo Touha and his homeland of Palestine. The film explores Mosab’s journey through the complexities of living under oppression. This is not just the story of one poet. It is a testament to the universal fight for freedom of expression and the enduring power of words to inspire change. This film captures the essence of creativity as a lifeline, revealing the critical role that art plays in shaping stories and fostering hope in a broken world.
The Iranian International Documentary Film Festival “Cinema Verité” is organized by the Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC). This festival seeks to express the relationship between reality and truth through documentary films.
SS/SAB